A goofy kid with the ability to "fly"
CHARACTER INFORMATION
Name: Ray
Nicknames: N/A
Race: Flying Squirrel
Gender: Male
Age: Unknown
(In his video game portrayal, it is unknown as to whether or not Ray's age is 15 as he is in the Archie Sonic the Hedgehog comic series. It doesn't seem that likely, since, if anything, Ray seems like a very young Sonic character, especially when taking his voice into account. Anywhere between 7-10, maybe?)
Date of Birth: Unknown
Birthplace: Unknown
Height: Unknown
(SegaSonic the Hedgehog seems to skew the heights of the characters, since in spite of his evident young age, Ray is as tall as Sonic & Mighty in the game. So this one perplexes the hell outta us. I can just guess anywhere between 85 to 95 centimeters [2'9" - 3'1"].)
Weight: Unknown
(Speculation: He is evidently young, but he is also apparently on the tall side. So the best thing to do is go with the medium between the two, so a good weight for Ray would be anywhere from 25 to 30 kilograms [55 to 66 lbs].)
Ability Type: N/A (Presumably Flight)
Alignment: Hero
Physical Techniques:
(1). Spin Jump
Description: Also referred to as the "spinball jump," Ray is able to leap into the air and curl into a spinning, tightly compacted ball of destruction which can destroy enemies and break barriers.
In-game debut: SegaSonic the Hedgehog, Arcade, 1993
Last known use: Sonic Mania +, Sony PlayStation 4/Microsoft Xbox One/Nintendo Switch, 2018
(2). Spin Dash
Description: Ray is able to curl down and begin revving up, taking on a diagonally pivoted, ovular shape. Once unleashed, Ray blasts forward in an acceleration roll of high speeds with limited airborne capability, meant to break barriers or mow down enemies.
Last known use: Sonic Mania +, Sony PlayStation 4/Microsoft Xbox One/Nintendo Switch, 2018
(3). Air Glide
Description: Ray spreads his patagium to catch some air and glides. He can sustain the length of his glide by diving and soaring to maintain momentum and altitude.
Last known use: Sonic Mania +, Sony PlayStation 4/Microsoft Xbox One/Nintendo Switch, 2018
Abilities and Aptitude:
(1). Ray's tail is not only very strong and durable, but he uses it as somewhat of a prehensile third hand.
(2). Can glide by catching air under the membrane of furred skin between his arms and waist when they are spanned.
Transformations/Alternate Forms: None.
Hobbies and Talents: N/A
Weaknesses: No known weaknesses.
Physical Appearance:
- Close-lying golden yellow fur
- Dark tan skin muzzle, inner ears, and tummy/chest
- Large eyes with black pupils/irises? and glassy white sclera
- His hair tapers into a small, tufted tip at the top of the back of his head, making his head somewhat shaped like a teardrop
- A flabby membrane of furry skin connects the lower sides of his waist to his lower arms
- Small, triangular and perked ears
- Round and bulbous, shiny black nose with no apparent nostrils
- Long and durable, club-shaped tail
Attire:
- A pair of white gloves with large, sock-like cuffs
- Blue sneakers embraced with two white buckle-straps
- White socks (Speculation: This may be a part of his shoes. But we'll perhaps never know this for certain.)
Items & Weapons: N/A
Vehicle(s): N/A
Personality Details:
Ray the Flying Squirrel possesses a personality just as mysterious as any other scrapped Sonic character. You could only get hints of it through the small amount of voice acting he did in Segasonic the Hedgehog, which was nothing but mostly screams, grunts, or "Yes(!)'" in reaction to events in the game. Judging by his evident youth and occasional cheek to cheek grin seen on his sprites, he seems like a real nice and courteous youngling. However, he seems very cautious and gets frightened easily. This is because in the beginning of the game when Sonic, Mighty and Ray are being pursued by the giant Eggman machine, Ray is the one who looks the most scared with his small, beady eyes that are wide open, and agape mouth that is obviously screaming. However, this is all just one big assumption. Your guess on Ray's personality is as good as ours.
Historical Biography:
Along with Sonic and Mighty, Ray was the third unlucky visitor of Eggman Island that was captured by the giant Eggman machine and thus imprisoned inside of Eggman's Volcanic Vault. The three of them made friends and in a very well consolidated effort, they managed to escape their incarceration and cut through Eggman's island of doom like a hot knife through butter and thereafter access the tower the Egg-shaped doctor himself watched over them in. Push comes to shove, the three escape, and the entire island blows up into one huge, towering inferno. Unfortunately, all three of them went their separate ways, and for Ray, it was for good — he has not been seen since...until now.
Personal Information:
Family: N/A
Greatest Friend(s): Sonic the Hedgehog and Mighty the Armadillo.
Other Friend(s): Miles "Tails" Prower and Knuckles the Echidna.
Love Interest(s): N/A
Rival(s): N/A
Foe(s): Dr. Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik.
Likes: N/A
Main Dislikes: N/A
Other Dislikes: N/A
Hobbies: N/A
Favorite Food(s): N/A
Favorite Color(s): N/A
Favorite Music Genre(s): N/A
Occupation: N/A
Place of Residence: N/A
GAME INFORMATION
Franchise Name: Ray the Flying Squirrel.
Original Purpose: Supporting role in SegaSonic the Hedgehog.
Current Purpose: Minor supporting role.
Date of first promotion/presence in the industry: Ray's debut in the industry came along with the release of the Arcade title, SegaSonic the Hedgehog, released first in Japan on June of 1993.
Years in Service: Not even a year; Ray will return, however in Sonic Mania +, in summer of 2018.
Impact on Series: The only reason Ray is known somewhat widely now is because of his tenure in the Archie comics, where he's a Chaotix member with a complete makeover (and a stutter, even). Other than the thousands of comic fans who wanted to see him again, his chance of returning was very low, as SegaSonic the Hedgehog's release was on an even lower scale than Sonic the Fighters. And to make matters worse, Ray is just as shallow, if not more shallow than Bean and Bark. Ray's return was veeeery unlikely; hell, the only video game Ray was even in hasn't even been ported to some game collection yet. That may change with Mania Plus, though.
Original Designer: Manabu Kusunoki.
Design Process: When designing for SegaSonic Arcade, Kusunoki-san wanted all three characters to play exactly the same. To that end, he felt that Sonic's partners needed to share his proportions. So, here's Ray.
Possible Design Inspirations: No known design inspirations. Ray seems to be completely original.
Prestigious Design Variations: 1
Name: Ray
Nicknames: N/A
Race: Flying Squirrel
Gender: Male
Age: Unknown
(In his video game portrayal, it is unknown as to whether or not Ray's age is 15 as he is in the Archie Sonic the Hedgehog comic series. It doesn't seem that likely, since, if anything, Ray seems like a very young Sonic character, especially when taking his voice into account. Anywhere between 7-10, maybe?)
Date of Birth: Unknown
Birthplace: Unknown
Height: Unknown
(SegaSonic the Hedgehog seems to skew the heights of the characters, since in spite of his evident young age, Ray is as tall as Sonic & Mighty in the game. So this one perplexes the hell outta us. I can just guess anywhere between 85 to 95 centimeters [2'9" - 3'1"].)
Weight: Unknown
(Speculation: He is evidently young, but he is also apparently on the tall side. So the best thing to do is go with the medium between the two, so a good weight for Ray would be anywhere from 25 to 30 kilograms [55 to 66 lbs].)
Ability Type: N/A (Presumably Flight)
Alignment: Hero
Physical Techniques:
(1). Spin Jump
Description: Also referred to as the "spinball jump," Ray is able to leap into the air and curl into a spinning, tightly compacted ball of destruction which can destroy enemies and break barriers.
In-game debut: SegaSonic the Hedgehog, Arcade, 1993
Last known use: Sonic Mania +, Sony PlayStation 4/Microsoft Xbox One/Nintendo Switch, 2018
(2). Spin Dash
Description: Ray is able to curl down and begin revving up, taking on a diagonally pivoted, ovular shape. Once unleashed, Ray blasts forward in an acceleration roll of high speeds with limited airborne capability, meant to break barriers or mow down enemies.
Last known use: Sonic Mania +, Sony PlayStation 4/Microsoft Xbox One/Nintendo Switch, 2018
(3). Air Glide
Description: Ray spreads his patagium to catch some air and glides. He can sustain the length of his glide by diving and soaring to maintain momentum and altitude.
Last known use: Sonic Mania +, Sony PlayStation 4/Microsoft Xbox One/Nintendo Switch, 2018
Abilities and Aptitude:
(1). Ray's tail is not only very strong and durable, but he uses it as somewhat of a prehensile third hand.
(2). Can glide by catching air under the membrane of furred skin between his arms and waist when they are spanned.
Transformations/Alternate Forms: None.
Hobbies and Talents: N/A
Weaknesses: No known weaknesses.
Physical Appearance:
- Close-lying golden yellow fur
- Dark tan skin muzzle, inner ears, and tummy/chest
- Large eyes with black pupils/irises? and glassy white sclera
- His hair tapers into a small, tufted tip at the top of the back of his head, making his head somewhat shaped like a teardrop
- A flabby membrane of furry skin connects the lower sides of his waist to his lower arms
- Small, triangular and perked ears
- Round and bulbous, shiny black nose with no apparent nostrils
- Long and durable, club-shaped tail
Attire:
- A pair of white gloves with large, sock-like cuffs
- Blue sneakers embraced with two white buckle-straps
- White socks (Speculation: This may be a part of his shoes. But we'll perhaps never know this for certain.)
Items & Weapons: N/A
Vehicle(s): N/A
Personality Details:
Ray the Flying Squirrel possesses a personality just as mysterious as any other scrapped Sonic character. You could only get hints of it through the small amount of voice acting he did in Segasonic the Hedgehog, which was nothing but mostly screams, grunts, or "Yes(!)'" in reaction to events in the game. Judging by his evident youth and occasional cheek to cheek grin seen on his sprites, he seems like a real nice and courteous youngling. However, he seems very cautious and gets frightened easily. This is because in the beginning of the game when Sonic, Mighty and Ray are being pursued by the giant Eggman machine, Ray is the one who looks the most scared with his small, beady eyes that are wide open, and agape mouth that is obviously screaming. However, this is all just one big assumption. Your guess on Ray's personality is as good as ours.
Historical Biography:
Along with Sonic and Mighty, Ray was the third unlucky visitor of Eggman Island that was captured by the giant Eggman machine and thus imprisoned inside of Eggman's Volcanic Vault. The three of them made friends and in a very well consolidated effort, they managed to escape their incarceration and cut through Eggman's island of doom like a hot knife through butter and thereafter access the tower the Egg-shaped doctor himself watched over them in. Push comes to shove, the three escape, and the entire island blows up into one huge, towering inferno. Unfortunately, all three of them went their separate ways, and for Ray, it was for good — he has not been seen since...until now.
Personal Information:
Family: N/A
Greatest Friend(s): Sonic the Hedgehog and Mighty the Armadillo.
Other Friend(s): Miles "Tails" Prower and Knuckles the Echidna.
Love Interest(s): N/A
Rival(s): N/A
Foe(s): Dr. Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik.
Likes: N/A
Main Dislikes: N/A
Other Dislikes: N/A
Hobbies: N/A
Favorite Food(s): N/A
Favorite Color(s): N/A
Favorite Music Genre(s): N/A
Occupation: N/A
Place of Residence: N/A
GAME INFORMATION
Franchise Name: Ray the Flying Squirrel.
Original Purpose: Supporting role in SegaSonic the Hedgehog.
Current Purpose: Minor supporting role.
Date of first promotion/presence in the industry: Ray's debut in the industry came along with the release of the Arcade title, SegaSonic the Hedgehog, released first in Japan on June of 1993.
Years in Service: Not even a year; Ray will return, however in Sonic Mania +, in summer of 2018.
Impact on Series: The only reason Ray is known somewhat widely now is because of his tenure in the Archie comics, where he's a Chaotix member with a complete makeover (and a stutter, even). Other than the thousands of comic fans who wanted to see him again, his chance of returning was very low, as SegaSonic the Hedgehog's release was on an even lower scale than Sonic the Fighters. And to make matters worse, Ray is just as shallow, if not more shallow than Bean and Bark. Ray's return was veeeery unlikely; hell, the only video game Ray was even in hasn't even been ported to some game collection yet. That may change with Mania Plus, though.
Original Designer: Manabu Kusunoki.
Design Process: When designing for SegaSonic Arcade, Kusunoki-san wanted all three characters to play exactly the same. To that end, he felt that Sonic's partners needed to share his proportions. So, here's Ray.
Possible Design Inspirations: No known design inspirations. Ray seems to be completely original.
Prestigious Design Variations: 1
Known Sonic Game Voice Actors/Actresses:
SegaSonic the Hedgehog (JP): Hinako Yoshino (née Kanemaru)
Other Known Game Voice Actors/Actresses: N/A
Non-video game Voice Actors/Actresses: N/A
Sonic Games he has been playable in:
(1). SegaSonic the Hedgehog (Arcade)
(2). Sonic Mania + (PlayStation 4/Xbox One/Switch)
Other games he has been playable in: N/A
Sonic Games he has made an appearance in:
- Sonic Generations: White Time and Space (Xbox 360/PlayStation 3/PC – On a "Missing" poster in City Escape)
Other games he has made an appearance in: N/A
Non-video game portrayals:
(1). Sonic the Hedgehog, SOA-licensed by Archie Comics (Comic series)
(2). Sonic Universe, SOA-licensed by Archie Comics (Comic series)
(3). Sonic the Hedgehog 30th Anniversary Special by IDW (Comic Issue)
Theme Song(s): N/A
Personal character analysis/commentary (by Ryan the Game Master):
You know, I felt sorry for this kid for the longest time. He was only been in one game and no one would've even known of his existence if it weren't for the Archie comics. Heck, there are some who still don't know who he is to this day. While I'm glad he's back, it sucks that he's gonna be just as flat a character as ever.